If you have a group of 4WD owner friends, chances are you have already discussed which is the better 4WD recovery equipment, the track, or winch. Or if you are a new 4WD vehicle owner and you are doing your research, this post would tell you about the similarities and differences between the tracks and the winch.
Tracks and or winch would help you when your vehicle got stuck. And since you would be driving in unfamiliar terrain for endless adventures (why else you bought a 4×4, right?) you need to have recovery equipment that would get you unstuck. This is where tracks and winches come in.
Tracks
Made out of moulded plastics, recovery tracks provide friction for your wheels to help your vehicle recover from being bogged in on sand or mud. Some vehicle owners use cardboard or a carpet as an alternative solution but they don’t always work since they slid and sink under the tire, making the carpet or cardboard also stuck.
Unlike with tracks that act as a shovel to assist the tire in reviving and gaining momentum to drive or wheel out of the ditch. They are very affordable and compact that it would not take that much space in your trunk that you would not have the dilemma of thinking which of your gear you could leave behind.
When you go shopping for tracks make sure that you buy tracks that nestle together since you would need two and with a thick construction to make sure that it could support heavy vehicles.
Winches
Recovery winches, on the other hand, are mechanical pieces of equipment that have to have tow straps, snatch block, and tree saver strap. These accessories are essential when you get stuck and you have no one else to help you. You have to remember though when you start looking for recovery winches that they should be at least 30% more than the weight of your vehicle.
When you are needed the help of another 4WD or 4×4 to pull your vehicle out of being stuck that you hook it on that vehicle’s recovery point and not on the bumper. Otherwise, this is a sure-fire way to damage their bumper no matter how impregnable they are. You might also cause some injuries when the bumper shattered and debris started flying.
When you go shopping for recovery winches, know its maximum pulling power so you would have an idea if it would be enough on expeditions you plan on going. If you would be driving on dunes or you would be exploring an area where it frequently rains and the chances of you being stuck in mud is likely, all the more you need a strong and reliable recovery winch.
One of the main things you need to remember during recovery is to make sure that people are at a safe distance from you. You would not want to get your vehicle out of the muck but hurt someone.
